Singapore Airlines Award for Young Business Person of the Year

Sam Hussey is co-founder and CEO of Lightweave, one of Australia’s leading immersive technology providers with a focus on virtual reality, augmented reality and new technology, and works with clients such as DreamWorks, NBCUnivesal, HTC, QUT, Brisbane Festival, Ekka, Brisbane Heat, Westfield, QIC and Queensland Government. The company has offices in Brisbane and Singapore and is expanding into the UK and North America. Sam is also the co-founder of District Technologies, the world’s greatest urban exploration app which has delivered major events in Singapore and Hong Kong, with clients such as ADIDAS, MasterCard, Garmin and AIA. In 2018, Sam was listed in the Courier Mail’s QBM as one of the Top 20 under 40 Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs and was also a finalist in Business News Australia Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

The Veefil-PK is a scalable, flexible high-power charging system for commercial operators to be the refuelling stations of the future. It is designed to deliver an optimal solution at each charging site and is capable of charging an electric vehicle up to 475kW. Drawing on Brisbane-based Tritium’s 20-year heritage of innovation and expertise in DC fast charging infrastructure development, the Veefil-PK has been designed to meet the needs of today’s electric vehicle drivers and to also be ready for the drivers of the future. The system offers high energy efficiency, a small footprint that integrates easily into exiting sites and offers a faster return on investment then competing systems by being scalable and flexible.

HSBC Award for Doing Business in Asia

EarthCheck’s suite of products and certification standards for buildings, destinations and enterprises have become the world’s leading sustainability programs for the travel and tourism industry. The EarthCheck program is used by over 1500 members, in six languages and in more than 70 countries worldwide. Since inception, EarthCheck has experienced steady market growth in Asia. The company’s clients include leading hospitality brands such as Banyan Tree, Alila, One and Only, Radisson Blue, Langham Group and Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces. EarthCheck’s patented software transforms complex data into user-friendly infographics and reports that can be understood by all business levels, enabling them to measure, manage and compare operational performance in real time.

ANZ Award for High-Growth Business Start-Up

Founded by the Queensland University of Technology in 2015, Vald Performance is the company behind the NordBord Hamstring Testing System, GroinBar Hip Strength Testing System and HumanTrak Movement Analysis System – innovative systems providing unparalleled insights into human movement, performance and injury risk. Tried and tested by nearly 400 of the world’s most elite sporting teams, clinicians, universities, hospitals and defence departments, Vald Performance systems have changed how we look at strength, performance and movement. Most recently, Vald Performance’s acquisition of the ForceDecks Dual Force Plate System has solidified their position as world leaders in human measurement.

Australia Pacific LNG Award for Business Innovation

Jewellery claims can be emotionally devastating for claimants suffering from loss of highly sentimental items, and complex for insurers to manage. Some insurers inefficiently manage and process jewellery claims manually. This creates excessive administrative costs, time and impacts customer outcomes. IVAA developed a decentralised managed payments solution – a simple clearing house service, and a first for the industry. With automated managed payments, insurers operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Customers are happier and insurers improve connections with jewellers. With innovations including managed payments, IVAA is saving insurers $11 million a year.

ISPT Award for Digital Adoption Strategy

As an arboriculture company passionate about the environment and sustainability, Heritage Tree Care is very aware of the amount of paper it uses on a daily basis. Heritage Tree Care wanted to become even more environmentally sound while also improving productivity and providing its valued clients with a smooth and efficient service. Incorporating a state-of-the-art, bespoke integrated software management system into the day-to-day running of the business has been an exciting project which has been embraced by both staff and clients. The live system is utilised from the initial client contact, quoting, on the field by their arborists through to the final invoicing and customer satisfaction surveys.

Yurika Award for Sustainability in Business

World’s Biggest Garage Sale (WBGS) is a Brisbane based start-up/scale up, designing solutions to commercialise the circular economy through the activation of dormant goods for good. It is maximising the value of goods already in the economy, through recycle, repurpose, reuse, and re-commerce. In doing so, it’s diverting landfill, and drawing wealth from waste. WBGS hosts large-scale local re-commerce events and is developing a digital platform enabling communities globally to reproduce these large-scale re-commerce events through a toolkit. This allows WBGS to provide positive impact for people, planet and profit for purpose on a global level. To date WBGS have diverted over 3.3 million kilograms of potential waste from landfill, and added an estimated $1.27 million to the global economy through the preservation of valuable resources.

CCIQ Award for Outstanding Small Business

Active Truth was created by Nadia Tucker and Stevie Angel after they saw a need for an activewear brand that celebrated all women no matter their size, shape or stage of life. Active Truth caters to women sizes 6 to 26 including maternity styles, offering high performance activewear and a newly released swimwear range. The brand shows a diverse range of women in their advertising, all happy healthy and active, and never photoshopped. Since launching two and a half years ago Active Truth has experienced rapid growth with over 40,000 pairs of tights sold to women worldwide and amassing over 60,000 social media followers. Their mission is to show all women that healthy is an outfit that looks different on every body.

Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd Award for New Investment in Brisbane

Established in 1979, Cook Medical Australia has seen consistent growth for almost 40 years. In Brisbane, the company manufactures endovascular stent-grafts for the treatment of aortic aneurysms, as well as products used in the IVF process. Cook Medical Australia employs more than 600 people across manufacturing, supply chain, sales, customer service, R&D, regulatory, functional support, regional management functions and senior executive. In 2018, Cook Medical Australia made two key investments; to expand manufacturing capacity with the establishment of a second shift and the addition of 94 new jobs to meet increasing export demand, and the launch of the Australia Research Council Research Hub for the Advanced Manufacturing of Medical Devices with the goal to transform Australia’s medical technology industry.

Past winners

Brisbane, Australia, is a thriving multicultural city and successful host of the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit. A global hub in scientific innovation, mining and resources, technology, education, meetings and incentives and cultural attractions, Brisbane is committed to strengthening international trade and commerce.